About Curve

The first ever LGBTQ Pride March took place in New York City on June 28, 1970, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. In that inaugural year, it’s estimated that more than 2,000 people participated in the march. Last year, according to organizers, around 30,000 people marched in the NYC Pride Parade, and around 2 million spectators joined the marchers—a jump of half a million from the previous year. Clearly, people are still concerned about the future rights of the LGBTQ community.
For many of us, since last year’s U.S. presidential election, Pride has become protest. I’m not sure everyone likes that development. For many of us, Pride has always signified a season of joy and visibility, a time to literally feel proud of ourselves. But according to our recent CurveMag.com poll, this year’s Pride Parade will have more in common with the 1970 Pride March than any other.
Since New York is the birthplace of the modern Pride movement, I chatted with Eboni Munn, Communications Manager at NYC Pride, and asked her how she saw the city’s upcoming Pride event. Would the current political context affect any of the plans, procedures, and protocols for NYC Pride in June 2017?
“We recently announced the four grand marshals set to lead this year’s critical LGBT Pride demonstration: The ACLU, Brooke Guinan [FDNY], Krishna Stone [GMHC], and Geng Le [Blued],” she said. “The rally will also go back to its roots. We’re organizing community activists, politicians, and more in response to the current political climate. With this year’s NYC Pride March and Rally, we’re speaking to the social and political tensions brought on by the new administration,” confirmed Munn.
She also expects an exceptional response from participants and spectators. “We are experiencing an unprecedented moment in our history, and we’re expecting the LGBT community and our allies to make their voices heard in immense proportions.”